Afnan Nehela
2007 MAX Fellow
Al-Noor AcademY, Mansfield, MA
In 2007, Afnan Nehela wrote her MAXCourage award-winning essay about her experience as a young Muslim woman in the post-9/11 landscape, and her decision to wear a hijab. Afnan writes:
“Winning the MAXCourage essay contest was a transformative experience that reinforced the significance of my voice at a young age. In my essay, I talked about the courage it took me to wear the hijab in a post 9/11 world. I took a leap of faith talking publicly about a personal issue, but MAXCourage shed light on my story and by extension many others in my community who were grappling with similar experiences. At a time when uplifting minorities and diversity was not trendy, MAXCourage amplified my narrative and empowered my truth. I am grateful to the mission and impact that MAXCourage has on students and the platform it provides to empower their stories and voices.”
Afnan joined MAXCourage’s Advisory Board in 2023.
To this day, Afnan remains passionate about uplifting the stories and challenges of marginalized and underrepresented communities through public policy. As the Communications Director and Policy Adviser for MA State Senator Jamie Eldridge, Afnan focuses on advocacy surrounding criminal justice reform, immigration, healthcare, and education. Prior to her work for the Massachusetts Senate, Afnan was a reporter and a filmmaker covering stories related to social justice and working to rectify false perceptions about Islam and Muslims. Afnan is currently pursuing a Masters of Public Policy at Brandeis University and holds a BA in Journalism and Psychology from UMass Amherst.
Afnan’s Essay
Rouba Abou-Samra, Teacher Al-Noor Academy
“I feel very proud of myself that I made the right decision and was able to practice my religion with freedom and courage.”
Courage is doing the right thing without fear and compromise. A short time after 9/11 many Muslims were afraid of expected discrimination and harassment as a consequence of bias media coverage. Some Muslims were too afraid to even go shopping, go to work, or to the mosque. Even worse, some Muslim, women were afraid to wear their hijabs (Muslim women’s head scarf) outside their homes. It was a painful, fearful time for Muslim individuals and families. During this time my mom started writing a book on hijab. Many times l overheard her discussing book chapters with her friends about the importance, merit, and benefits of hijab. Her words attracted me and I believed in it more. I wanted to wear hijab but I was hesitant. It took me three stages to reach my final decision. First I asked my parents for their opinions, but they said that I was free to do what I wanted and they were not going to force the hijab on me. Second, I thought hard about it. I considered the benefits and the good deeds I would be rewarded, then of the disadvantages of how I would be treated in public. Finally I made my decision with courage and no hesitation, I decided on wearing the hijab. Nowadays, I feel very proud of myself that I made the right decision and was able to practice my religion with freedom and courage.